


Play it by Heart

by Ifrit



Category: Exorcism Academy
Genre: Demon Sex, Demons, Dream Sex, Dubious Consent, Fake Marriage, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mistaken Identity, Not Actually Unrequited Love, also kind of?, just. tooth-rotting fluff, kind of?, lurkers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 19:53:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16374020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ifrit/pseuds/Ifrit
Summary: Determined to get to the bottom of Ethan's strange behavior after the Lurker trial, Al infiltrates the exorcist's dream - only to find much more than he bargained for.Sex is one thing - watching Ethan dream of the two of them being married is another.





	Play it by Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Title inspired by Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams". 
> 
> Mostly un-beta'd. Please excuse the typos/grammar mistakes/mess.
> 
> I cranked this entire fic out in like 4 hours. It's 3:17am, and I am delirious. I am confused. I am also really sad that this is the only fic in the fandom on Ao3 and am mostly resigned to the possibility that no one in the world will ever see this fic.
> 
> But yeah. I had a lot of fun with this! Many thanks to Asmo for their beautiful webcomic and hard work. If you don't know what it is, read it here: http://ea.asmodrawscomics.com (warning: very nsfw!).

Right after his clinical trial with the Lurker, Ethan had... he'd withdrawn into himself, no doubt a consequence of the illusion he'd been trapped in.  Though Chuck had continuously reassured the both of them - mostly Al, actually, as he was the only one out of the two of them showing any concern over Ethan's previously teary state - that Ethan's encounter under the Lurker had been an above average experience, the demon couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.  And it was - it wasn't like Al was stupid.  He'd be blind to not notice the way Ethan refused to meet his eyes on the way back to the Academy, even when he took a dab of ice cream and plopped it on the tip of the exorcist's nose.  Instead of an indignant shout or laughter like Al had been hoping for, Ethan had jolted at the sudden chill like it'd simply interrupted his train of thought, giving Al none of the attention he'd wanted with that little antic as he wiped his nose clean with the back of his sleeve.

The extra sprinkles Chuck had got him had done nothing to lift his bad mood after that humiliation.

There wasn't much time for Al to suss out the problem, as much as he wanted to get Ethan alone in their shared room and interrogate him - among other things.  A medic had run up to them as soon as they stepped foot on campus, sending Ethan into a frenzy after letting him know Malki had been laid up the infirmary the whole time.  

Al would pay anything to get to see Ethan's _boy toy's_ reaction to reading every one of those desperate little texts.  Snickering, he amended that thought - actually, he'd pay to see Ethan's suffering as Malki _re-enacted_ those texts.

His good humor disappeared when he saw the way Ethan left, sprinting away into one of the buildings without giving Al so much as a passing glance back over his shoulder.  Thankfully, Ethan wasn't the only one needed elsewhere - the captain herself had requested his presence to meet with her one-on-one.  An honor this was not - he knew exactly why she wanted to talk with him, and he wasn't going to give her any answers.  He was just glad for the distraction, worried he'd jump right out of his own skin with the anticipation of wanting, _needing_ to get an answer out of Ethan thrumming under it.

Al was right.  The captain had only wasted both their time, and though Al knew it was a losing battle to try and get into an argument about ethics with the captain, his ire at her ignorance broke down the limit of his patience.  It was childish, but he couldn't help but storm out of there and make a beeline for the library, not wanting to risk taking the anger bubbling inside him out on Ethan.

Predictably, he slunk into the library, falling asleep in one of the armchairs.  The dream he had was definitely bad enough to make the librarian's shaking him awake welcome - in fact, she'd given him a literal _stack_ of books to take back to Ethan's room, bless that beautiful lady's soul.  Still, he couldn't shake the uneasiness hanging over him after that dream, only made worse by his burning need to know what had happened to Ethan in the Lurker's illusion.

When he barged into the room, Ethan was busy brushing his teeth, looking for all the world like he'd been run over by a truck, eyes drooping and staring unblinking into the mirror in front of him.  Thankfully, Al did get a short greeting when he paraded his haul into Ethan's line of sight.

"...Got some light reading planned?" Ethan hummed, the words a little garbled by the foamy toothpaste still lingering in his mouth.

Al, relieved beyond belief that Ethan had stopped giving him the silent treatment, shot Ethan's reflection a huge grin.  "Your librarian _really_ gets into her job, doesn't she?"

Ethan's tiny smile back, even though it's barely visible the way it's stretched around the handle of his toothbrush, is like seeing the most beautiful sunset in the world.  God, all this time on Earth was making him sentimental - well, more sentimental than he already was.  "Cassidy?  Hah, yeah."  Al expects him to continue the conversation after that, but Ethan just goes on silently brushing what seems like every single crevice in his mouth, keeping his gaze resolutely on the sink.  Even after he spits out the foam and rinses his mouth, Ethan keeps silent, and Al has just been standing awkwardly in the middle of their room, unsure of what to do with the mountain of books in his arms.

Sensing Al's confusion and awkwardness, Ethan sighs and takes the books out of the demon's hands to set it over on his desk.  "Could we... could we leave the light off tonight?  I don't want to keep you from reading, but tonight... all I wanna do is sleep."

Al is a little hurt by this, and he thinks that he has damn good reason to feel that way.  "You're not gonna tell me what the hell was up with the Lurker?"

That must have been the wrong thing to say, because all it serves to do is shut Ethan down.  "All I wanna do is sleep," he repeats, much softer this time, eyes slipping closed even as he stood at the foot of the bed.

What could he do other than climb into bed and offer Ethan the space next to him under the covers?  Ethan looked like he was reluctant to share the bed with Al, but ultimately, his tiredness won out and he actually _collapsed_ onto the mattress, jostling it with the force of impact.

When Ethan's breathing had evened out, Al looked down at his sleeping form, scowling as he cursed Ethan's quick evasion of Al's questions.  Fine, then, he reasoned.  It didn't matter - Al would get his answers whether Ethan was asleep or awake.  

* * *

The first thing Ethan was aware of was when he woke up was that he was alone in bed.  He sighed in relief when he remembered the situation he'd narrowly avoided the night before.  Thank god Al hadn't pushed the issue - the longer Ethan had his face exposed instead of mashed into his pillow, the higher the possibility was that Al would see that he'd broken out into tears again.  He was inordinately proud of the way he'd been able to control his voice under Al's questioning.

He'd heard that most people were reluctant to go to sleep the night after a Lurker trial, fearful that the Lurker would somehow find them again and tempt them again in the form of a dream.  However, as much as he was loath to admit it, the Lurker was right.  Real life was so much more painful, the prospect of heartbreak too real to be able to deal with so soon after his desires had been dangled in front of his face, just out of reach.

The fact that he'd woken up without a hint of a dream was just adding insult to injury.

He'd wanted to ask Al so badly if what the Lurker had said about him was real.  If he were braver, he would have - but it was so much easier to just avoid everything, close his eyes and hold his hands over his ears to pretend like he ever had a chance.

Just as soon as he had that thought, Al sauntered into the room, a damp towel held loosely on his hips, threatening to fall to the floor and expose the rest of his steaming skin.

"Well, that's just gratuitous," Ethan snorted softly, unable to stop the lopsided grin that formed at the sight.  It didn't last long, though.  No longer smiling, Ethan turned his face back into the pillow and resolutely avoided meeting Al's gaze.

"You don't look very appreciative, babe," Al chuckled, making his way closer if the gradually increasing volume of his voice was any indication.  It was a shock when his claws gently ran a line down the center of Ethan's spine, sending a shiver through his whole body.  "Did you finally get sick of me?"

"I wish you wouldn't do that anymore," Ethan mumbled out of the side of his mouth, eyes shut tight.

The movement of the claw stopped suddenly.  "Do... what?"

"Call me things like 'babe'."  A bone-deep weariness seeped straight into the marrow of his bones, making it that much harder to pull himself up to rest his back against the headboard.  "Don't get my hopes up.  Please."

He was dimly aware of the fact that he was crying again, the tears spilling silently over his cheeks.  Al had made his way back into bed, staring at Ethan in horror, shocked still for a second before he _launched_ himself into Ethan's space.

"What the hell - Ethan," Al soothed, stroking a hand down the side of Ethan's face, "I don't think I can do that.  Calling you sickeningly sweet nicknames comes with the territory of being married, right?  Or is that not a thing humans do?"

Wait.

Married?!

Frantically, Ethan jerked his hand into view - sure enough, a shiny golden ring now adorned his ring finger.  Still in disbelief, he grabbed Al's left hand, too, eyes widening even more when he saw a matching ring, starkly contrasted against his dark skin.

"I must be dreaming.  This can't - you're not - _we're_ not-"  Ethan stuttered, hands suddenly shaking uncontrollably.

"Better believe you're not dreaming, baby boy.  We have a flight out to our honeymoon in, like, four hours."  The jab was gently delivered, softened further by Al kissing the back of Ethan's hand.  "What's wrong?  You were so happy yesterday.  Especially after I did that thing with my tongue," he leered, lewdly running his tongue over the top row of his teeth.

Ethan was too stunned to properly react to the innuendo.  "I - I don't even know your real name," he muttered distantly.

"I thought we got past that."

"You're not an incubus?"

"A _what_?"  Al looked like he was torn between laughing and shaking Ethan by the shoulders.

Undeterred, Ethan barreled right along.  "The lurker said something about you liking to fuck humans."

"Excuse me, there's only one human that I like to fuck," Al harrumphed, holding a hand to his chest like he'd been insulted by Ethan's insinuation, "and that's you, idiot."

Ethan's laughter was a little hysterical as he processed that, the thought of the acronym 'HILF' intruding unbidden into the back of his mind.  Al hadn't let go of his hand all throughout the conversation, and Ethan could swear his heartbeat had concentrated where they were joined.  His hand was burning, pulsing at the point of contact.

He wasn't getting anywhere with all these questions and he was at least 90% certain that he was dreaming - so he dropped it in lieu of taking Al's other hand and looking straight into the demon's eyes.  "Say I don't believe you," he lies.  "What would you do to convince me otherwise?"

Al's smile transforms into a sharp grin, all teeth as he bridges the short gap between them to kiss Ethan deeply, all tongue and teeth - but not in a bad way.  They have to come up for air eventually - at least Ethan does - and when they separate, Al starts to pull away, much to Ethan's horror.

"Where are you going?" Ethan whines.  It's his dream, he'll be as pathetically desperate as he wants.

"Patience, darlin'," Al laughs, pressing a short kiss to Ethan's temple before standing up.  Ethan is suddenly fully aware that Al is fully naked - and fully erect - but doesn't have much time to appreciate it.  "I have something you'll like."

"Alright, alright, just do what you need to do." Ethan sighs, voice dripping with fondness.  "Hey, Al.  Before you leave..."

"Yeah?" Al swivels around, leaning against the frame of the bathroom door.

Softly, almost as if he didn't want Al to hear, Ethan whispers, "I love you."  It's a confession filled with longing and regret, exposing how obvious it was that Ethan thought his dream would end as soon as Al slipped out of view.  So much emotion was charged in those three words that should have embarrassed Ethan to hell, but he found that he didn't have any regrets.

What Ethan didn't expect - and didn't prepare himself to handle - was Al smiling back at him like his eyes held all the stars in the sky as he said "I love you" back before he slipped into the bathroom and out of view.

It was... it was too much.  Too much for Ethan to handle hearing without having to hold back another goddamn flood of tears.

He'd have given anything to have another wet dream starring Al and Malki instead of this... this... this _torture_.

It was okay, he told himself.  Just breathe.  The dream would be over soon.

* * *

When Al popped into Ethan's dream, he almost thought it hadn't worked - he was in the same spot that he'd "fallen asleep" in, facing Ethan's back in the same exact position.

Something was different, though.  Someone was in the bathroom, someone other than the two of them - so he tiptoed as quickly as he could into Ethan's closet, curious as hell to see what kind of freaky dream Ethan would have this time.

It wasn't so ludicrous to think that he'd have a wet dream after facing off against a Lurker, right?  Ethan had had weirder dreams before.

Al was in no way surprised when he saw himself step into view, looking _real_ good, if he did say so himself.  Ethan had woken up when Al had been distracted by himself, mumbling sleepily in dream Al's general direction with an amused smile on his face.  "Well, that's just gratuitous."

Al watched the dream unfold like he was watching a movie, hands crossed over his chest as he impatiently waited for the inevitable fucking to start.  Except... this wasn't looking anything like one of Ethan's wet dreams.  It was positively _domestic_.

He'd almost fallen back asleep out of boredom when he saw the ceiling light bounce off of something on Ethan's left hand - a ring...?  Tamping down the jealousy brought about by the idea of Ethan being married while still bound to Al, the demon forced himself to pay attention again, only to see an identical ring on his dream counterpart's finger.

Well.  This was... interesting.

"You're not an incubus?"  He heard Ethan ask, alarm bells going off in his head.  Why the hell would Ethan ask that?  Weren't they past that initial stage of distrust?

"The Lurker said something about you liking to fuck humans."

Ohhhh.  That certainly explained a lot, that and the ring.  Al was content with biding his time, silently willing his dream self to leave the room, a wish that was granted quickly enough.

Al was about to pop out of the closet, but stopped when he heard Ethan say something that sounded an _awful_ lot like "I love you".  Smugly, the demon filed that away as ammo to tease Ethan about once they were both back in the real world.

What he didn't expect was for dream Al to say it back with three times the sincerity.

Is... is this what Ethan wanted?  Al's full, undivided attention?  If it was just that, Ethan could have just _said so._ He wasn't so sure about the marriage part though - it was a weird human custom that confused Al.  Why tie yourself down to just one person?

Before he fucked around and lost his chance to pop in, Al shook himself out of his thoughts and slipped silently out of the closet, approaching in the same direction as his dream self and locking the doors behind him so he was sure they wouldn't be distracted.

"Back so soon?" Ethan said, and though laughter colored his question, his eyes were full of nothing but infatuation.

Something _wrenched_ deep within Al's chest at the sight.  "I thought you'd miss me too much," he murmured, finding it all too easy to slip into the role of loving husband.  Maybe something was wrong with _him,_ not Ethan.

Whatever inhibitions Ethan had at the beginning of the dream were thrown out the window, making Al feel more than a little guilty about deceiving Ethan and letting him act like this without knowing it would have consequences.  Hell, he felt like a voyeur even though he was the subject of the damn dream.

"You're damn right," Ethan sighed, reaching up to land the barest touch of his fingertips to Al's cheek, so tender it _hurt_.  "Being without you, even just for a second, is like losing a limb."

"Way to be dramatic," Al grinned, teasingly rubbing the pad of his thumb against the corner of Ethan's jaw.  Ethan didn't smile back - not exactly, although the corner of his mouth did tick up in response.  "I'd never have the chance to say shit like this to you outside of a dream.  Just let it happen."

"Well, why not?"  Al said before he could really think about what he'd just said.

Taken aback for a second, Ethan mulled it over.  "I - it's pathetic," he whispered, withdrawing his hand.  "You'd never feel the same way.  And besides, a demon shacking up with their exorcist?  Unheard of.  I'd be run out of the academy in a heartbeat."

"Didn't stop you from sleeping with me," Al huffed, climbing over Ethan's body.

Oh, he absolutely loved the way Ethan turned crimson.  "That's - that's different.  It's not like you keep your raging libido a secret," Ethan spluttered, pushing lightly at Al's chest.

"Why hide something so good?" Al grinned cheekily, hooking a sharp claw under Ethan's collar.  It only took a light pull to pop the first few buttons of the top, Al's grin widening with every button's release.  "That'd be downright criminal."

Though Ethan's face showed conflicting emotions that made it clear he was on the fence about ruining the tender moment by getting hot and heavy, Al wasn't worried.  Predictably, he capitulated as soon as Al moved in close and raked his teeth over that spot behind his ear that never failed to get Ethan to fall to pieces, hands scrabbling for purchase across the expanse of the demon's back as he rutted against his thigh.

"Woah there, cowboy," Al murmured, making sure to get all of Ethan's clothes off before going any further.  "If you're that eager, you'll make me think you're only with me for my body."

Ethan's breathless laugh was like music to his ears.  " _No,_ I'm only with you because you wanted to be a massive asshole after you stepped out of the void and bound yourself to me.  Which I still don't get," he says, talking mostly to himself now.

"What's there to get?  I chose you, Ethan."  Always the multitasker, Al slid down Ethan's body and mouthed at Ethan's dick through his briefs.  The resulting moan spurred him on, slipping his underwear just underneath the head of his dick to maintain a certain sort of pressure as he gave his undivided attention to the glans of Ethan's dick.

"Bullshi - _ah!_ You asshole," Ethan panted, back arching straight off the bed.  "Hold - hold on."

"Close already?" Al hummed devilishly, though he did as Ethan requested and pulled back.

Ethan just laughed, shimmying his ass to get fully naked and gently maneuvering them to get on top of Al so that they were sitting chest-to-chest.  "No, I just... I'm in the mood for something else.  You'll like it, I promise."

Al waits patiently, eyebrow raised as he watched Ethan take both of them into his hand.  "You made it sound like you were gonna do acrobatics on my dick.  I've gotta say, I kinda wanted to see that."

Ethan's hand stutters to a stop as he breaks out into a real, genuine peal of laughter, the kind of laughter that Al hasn't heard in what feels like years.  "No, you, you - you asshole.  I just wanted us to be as close as possible."

"If you wanted a hug, you could have just said so," Al grinned, though the effect of it was lost when his breath hitched as their crowns rubbed together to produce the best kind of friction.  Intent on making good on that, he gently guided Ethan's hand away and replaced it with his tail, tangling their fingers together with one hand and wrapping his free arm around Ethan's middle.

Their faces were impossibly close and Ethan refused to tear his gaze away from Al's despite almost going cross-eyed.  "Tell me you love me.  Just say it one more time," the exorcist whimpered, and how could Al say no to a request like that?  

"I love you, Ethan.  I'll only ever love you."

Alright, maybe he didn't have to go that hard.  But it wasn't like anyone was forcing him to say it - basically, Al did what he wanted.

Al is afraid Ethan might start crying again, but all that happens is his eyes slip closed, Ethan losing himself in the sensation of the tail holding them together.  After a few minutes the near-painful friction is reduced to a gentle glide, mostly due to the sheer amount of precum leaking from Al's tip.  "Let me ride you," Ethan pleads, as if Al would ever refuse.  "I need - you - I need to feel you inside me," he cries, and - oh, god, those are actual tears gathering at his waterline.  

"Shh, shh, princess.  Relax," he wipes the tears away, coaxing Ethan as if trying to approach a wild animal.  His tail releases them and Al hoists Ethan up and onto the very tip of his straining, ruddy cock, giving him enough time to support his own weight before letting go to rest his hands on Ethan's thighs.

Ethan is well and truly shuddering with the force of his tears now, arms clasped around Al's neck as he lowers himself down.  Just the tip of his dick entering Ethan's sinfully tight entrance is enough to make him see stars, and, needing _something_ to do with his hands, he all but pets Ethan through it.

He certainly takes his time, even with Al's coaxing, swiveling his hips in circles as he slides down inch by painfully slow inch.  Al's not too put out by the slow pace, though - the noises Ethan lets out with every controlled buck of Al's hips is more than enough to make up for the wait.

When Ethan bottoms out, he's panting like he'd just run a full marathon, shivering as he buries his face into Al's neck.  This feels nothing like the first time they had proper sex, a thought that niggles at the back of Al's mind and spurs him to go harder, faster.  Accordingly, he holds Ethan down by his hips and drives upwards, prompting a quiet groan of distress that's hard to make out when it's so tangled in his moans of pleasure.

"Not like that," he says shakily, words mouthed messily into Al's neck.  "I don't want it rough.  Not right now, not - here."

Al finds it hard to slow down, afraid of what'd happen if this gets too raw, both their emotions laid bare as if they were being torn open from the inside.  Still, he couldn't bring himself to ignore Ethan's desires.  "Yeah - yeah, of course.  Do you want to... you wanna take the lead?"

"No," Ethan smiles through his tears, pulling back to give them just enough room for them to kiss briefly.  "Just go slower."

He's not whipped, he tries to convince himself even as he slowly rocks them back and forth, only gently brushing against that spot inside Ethan every time he leans back just the right amount.

Smiling, Ethan's eyes went hooded, almost as if he were falling back asleep - but Ethan kept them open just enough to watch Al's expressions, a lazy, almost smug smile playing on his lips.  It was harder to tear his eyes away from the sight Ethan made than it was to keep himself from climaxing.

Not whipped.  He's not whipped, no sir.

He - he needs to hide his face, not wanting to find out what would happen if he let Ethan see him - _really_ see him - like this.  Gently, he pulled Ethan in so their chests were pressed together, mouthing kisses and wordless promises into the crook of Ethan's neck.

Ethan's moving now, breathing his noises of pleasure directly into Al's ear.  "Al," he moans, tightening around the demon's cock.  "Al, Al - _Al!_ "  The chanting of his name comes to a peak right before Ethan's sudden climax that sends ropes of thick, tacky cum all over both their chests.  It felt like they'd done too much, yet not enough at all at the same time.  It takes Al a few more thrusts to follow Ethan over the edge, though the involuntary rippling of Ethan's muscles around his length definitely helps.

They hang onto each other for a few long moments after that, basking in the afterglow and waiting for Ethan's tears to stop.  "I didn't think you had it in you to be that gentle," Ethan sniffles, very rudely wiping his nose on Al's shoulder.

"Hey!"  Al yelps, in response to both Ethan's words and being used as a makeshift tissue.  "First of all, if you need a tissue, ask," he grumbled, reaching over to the nightstand to get one - although, did it really matter in a dream?

Ethan still took the square, shyly looking away as if he just now realized how much he'd been crying.  Al rolled his eyes fondly.  "Second, if you thought all I had to offer was rough n' rowdy sex, you're not as good a husband as you think you are."

"I only found out we were married this morning!" Ethan scoffs playfully, though he seems like he's having fun pretending this isn't a dream.

And that's where Al went wrong.

Reminded of the whole "being married" thing, Ethan reaches for Al's left hand, only to realize the ring is nowhere to be seen.  About to ask what reason Al would possibly have to take the ring off, Ethan's eyebrows furrow and his mouth opens wide, only for him to be interrupted by the urgent rattling of the bathroom door handle Al had had the foresight to lock.

"Ethan?  Did you - Why'd you lock me out?" dream Al calls from behind the doors.  Mouth still gaping, Ethan turns to Al with a confused look of betrayal on his face.  It's almost comically obvious when Ethan connects the dots, his _entire body_ flushing a deep red before they're both wrenched out of the dream and into the inky darkness that lies between the dream world and consciousness.

* * *

Al is the first to wake, unfortunately.  He gathers the covers close to his chest as he waits with mounting dread thudding against his chest for Ethan to get up and ream him out - and _not_ in the good way.

When Ethan stirs, Al holds his breath - only to let out a high-pitched scream when Ethan suddenly sits up and grabs Al by the shoulders.

"What the fuck - Al, you fucking - Al!"  It looks like Ethan is so angry he can't even put it into words.  

Al just reels back, scrabbling out of the covers and putting his back against the wall.  "Calm down - Ethan, stop!"  There's a very real possibility Ethan is about to strangle him, and whether or not he's immortal wouldn't matter because Al would definitely feel the pain.

Too reluctantly, Ethan lets go and wraps his arms around himself, letting out a frustrated groan when he realizes his wet dream had ruined the sheets - again.  After enough time has passed and he's calmed down past the point of wanting to stab Al right through the chest, he grinds out, "Talk.  Explain yourself."

Waffling for a few seconds, Al rubs the back of his head sheepishly.  "Well, you see, I - I was worried about you, and... uh, you weren't going to tell me before we went to bed, and - and - damn it, I just wanted to know what the Lurker did to you to make you cry like that!"

"Why?  Why couldn't you have just _left it alone?_ "

"That's the thing-" Al groans, frustrated, "I can't fucking leave you alone.  How dense can you get, Ethan?"

"Don't you dare," Ethan says, low and dangerous.  "Don't lie to me.  I know you're just using me for one of your sick plans, but to let me live out that dream like it could ever be real-" his voice chokes off in a sob, though the tears haven't surfaced yet.  "We were married, and I was so, so happy - that dream was something even the Lurker couldn't tempt me with, because it was so far outside the realm of possibility that I never let myself fantasize about it.  And I'll kill you myself if you think it was _funny_ to watch me humiliate myself because I thought you weren't real, that you were a part of my dream and not _someone who can remember what happened right now."_

Al went quiet at that, and Ethan began planning his escape so he could have a breakdown in peace - until the demon grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss that matched the one they'd shared in the dream.

When they broke apart, Ethan was looking up at him with a look of disbelief and residual anger, though that anger mostly subsided when Al pressed another kiss to the corner of his mouth.  "How many times do I have to tell you, _darlin_ '," Al sighs, not a hint of insincerity in his voice, "I chose _you_.  And regardless of whatever I thought of you when we got paired, you're the only one I care about now."

He wanted to say _I love you_.  He wanted to... so why was it so hard to say when they weren't in the dream? 

Ethan, still looking skeptical, sighed with resignation and flopped back onto the pillows.  "I'm going straight to hell, aren't I," he murmured, so softly that Al almost didn't hear it.  "Gods be merciful, but I believe you.  I know it's a mistake, but... I need to believe you.  Otherwise I don't think I could sleep at night."

Suddenly, Al's resolve was decided by that one admission.  He bent down, pinned Ethan's wrists to the bed on both sides of his head, and murmured, "I love you," before diving in for another kiss.  The shock froze Ethan, but it was only a few seconds before he was enthusiastically giving as good as he got, smiling uncontrollably into the kiss.

They slowly pulled apart, Ethan's full-body smile so blinding that Al didn't even need the lights to see in the room.

"So," Ethan drawled, pressing countless kisses along Al's jaw like he couldn't stop himself from being sappy once he had permission, "You love me, huh?"

"Yeah," Al chuckled.  "Even if you are the worst husband ever."

"Am _not!_ "

"You couldn't even tell it wasn't me when I came back from the bathroom!"

"That is _so_ not my fault, dream you was still you, you know - besides, that was the only dream I had where you-"  Ethan cut himself off, reluctant to finish that sentence.

"Where I...?"

Ethan could only keep his silence for a few seconds longer before blurting out, "Where you actually cared about me!"

After a beat, he looked away and said in a small voice, "All my other dreams with you in them only had to do with sex.  So.  I didn't really have a standard for comparison when it came to you acting like we were in a relationship."

"Oh."  Wasn't that depressing.  "I can come into your dreams more often and play house, if you want," Al chuckled, though his offer was 100% serious.

"No, no, it's - it's fine.  As long as you treat me that nicely in real life, I won't have any complaints."

"Challenge accepted," Al murmured, rolling onto his back and pulling Ethan onto his chest, trying not to laugh in amazement of how well they fit together.  "By the way, how do you like your eggs?"

"...Why?" Ethan asked suspiciously, propping his chin up on Al's shoulder to try to find his answer in the demon's expression.

"What kind of husband would I be if I didn't cook breakfast for you the morning after sex?"

"You're terrible,"  Ethan laughed, though after a few minutes, when they'd fallen back into silence, Ethan said, "Sunny-side up."

Al fondly brushed the hair out of Ethan's face, pressing him into his body to coax him back to sleep.  "Done and done," he chuckled, only truly falling back asleep when he knew Ethan had gone to sleep too.

* * *

As it turned out, Al made a mean sunny-side up egg.  At least, that's what Ethan thought - and if he never found the trash bag filled to burst with burnt and shell-filled eggs, he'd be none the wiser.


End file.
